Messenger Apps Using Mobile Data Instead Of Wifi

[Jay4]

Recently my wife and I noticed some apps on our phones (running on our Wifi network) either takes a long time to load/open, or the app will switch to mobile data. 

When opening messengers (Whatsapp, WeChat, FB Messenger), we always get a Wifi notification saying "[Appname] is using mobile data because the current WiFi network is blocking it or there's a connection problem". 

Other apps like banking, Google maps, Telus connect, etc, takes about 10 seconds to load into the app. When using normal mobile data, it loads in a second. 

There isn't anything wrong with our wifi network as our laptops, tvs, and other devices run normally. Our Internet browsers on our phone runs fine.

I've done the usual troubleshooting like restarting the router, but it's the same results for the both of us. I can't tell if it's a configuration issue, system issue, or hardware issue. This has been bothering us. Please help! 

Thanks

Jay

[Jay4]

 

 

[Nighthawk]

What kind of phones do you have and which operating systems are they running? Are you using a VPN or any kind of custom network settings, including DNS? Did the problem just start recently? Are the apps fully up to date? 

Judging by the error message, I'm going to guess you're using an Android based phone. If you go into the phone Settings app, look for "'allow individual apps to switch to mobile data" and try turning that off for the messaging apps specifically. Depending on the phone it'll likely be under "Settings > Wifi > Advanced > Switch to mobile data > Allow individual apps to switch"

[Jay4]

We both have Samsung S23's on the latest OS. No VPNs. Apps are up to date. 

By disabling that feature, all it does is get rid of the pop-up. Other apps such as banking, Google maps, and Telus apps continue to take 10-15 seconds to load. This was never a problem 2 weeks ago. 

Thanks, 

Jay

[TELUS_Support]

It could be something tied to the apps themselves. Are you experiencing any other issues with your Wi-Fi service?

[Jay4]

There are no other issues with my WiFi service. All my other devices (Cameras, laptops, streamsticks, etc) operate fine. Most of the apps that have some sort of auto-login or requires internet during startup seems to have this issue. On mobile data, it works fine.

I can also say everything was working fine 1-2 weeks ago, until this started happening. The only difference was I received a few text messages from Telus stating "We are improving service reliability in your area by performing overnight maintenance" during the week. I'm not sure if this has affected anything.

[TELUS_Support]

It definitely shouldn't have. We'll send a private message to discuss further.